I Won't Give Up On Us
by shalom378
Summary: "She is happy when she's around Draco- everything seems clear and bright, like a patch of sun on a crisp fall day. But it's when they're apart that everything becomes muddled and confusing." Little Dramione one-shot for ya'll ;)
1. Chapter 1

**FINALLY! I've written something! So sorry it's taken forever, but here's a little Dramione FanFic for you****_._** **_DISCLAIMER_****: Some of the facts may be skewed or wrong; I have sort of bent time and places to my liking. SO PLEASE don't correct me, I'm most likely aware that it's wrong. Thanks! **

**(Set somewhere in Half-Blood Prince) **

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_This is ridiculous._

Hermione chastises herself as she walks the crowded corridor in the East wing of Hogwarts, her arms full of complicated Potions textbooks and her heart full of the one boy she wants but can't have. _Can you imagine the scene it would cause, _she thinks to herself fiercely, _if anyone found out about it? Harry wouldn't speak to me, and Ron would go into conniptions! _

A rushing fourth-year's shoulder clips the edge of her books, sending them tumbling to the ground. He shouts an apology over his shoulder, and the crowd squeezes around the edges of Hermione and her books as she bends down to collect them. Cold fingers grasp hers, and she looks up and into the eyes of Draco Malfoy. His steel grey eyes settle against hers, producing an almost tangible heat on her face.

"We need to talk," he says in a low voice, helping her gather her fallen books.

"Draco, you shouldn't be doing this." Hermione, desperate to get away, straightens and snatches the books from his outstretched hands. She feels the eyes of students flicker towards the odd scene- a bully Slytherin helping a sophisticated Gryffindor?

"Right. Sorry." He joins her standing, and smoothes the front of his spotless black robes. He leans in close, his breath hot against her rosy cheek, and whispers before Hermione can jerk back, "Meet me by the riverbank during lunch." Abruptly, he leans back out, and says in the same low voice, "Hit me as if I've just insulted you."

Confusion flickers across Hermione's face, and then understanding settles in. She lifts her hand and slaps him clear across the face. "How DARE you!" she shouts.

A few Slytherins in the crowd shout and jeer while a nervous Hufflepuff second-year hurries to class.

Draco holds the right side of his face, cringing, but not enough to keep a proud grin from his face. "The riverbank, Granger," he murmurs before turning and stalking off, head held high against the guffaws of some top form Ravenclaws.

"He's got some nerve," she mutters as she trots to Potions class, her hand pink and stinging.


	2. Chapter 2

For only the second time in her life, Hermione can't focus.

The first time was in second grade- she went to school with a high-grade fever because she didn't want to miss the lesson on the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. The class had just gotten to the breaking of the chrysalis when Hermione vomited all over her desk; she was sent home with strict instructions to stay there until full recovery.

She feels a bit of that sickness now- staring at the board in the front of the room where Professor Slughorn writes a complex theorem, her vision melting the colors together until they form Draco's face in a puddle on the floor. A whooshing fills her ears and distorts her hearing, creating a dream-like filter to her world.

"_Missssssss Grangerrrrrrrr_?"

"Miss Granger!"

Slughorn's voice permeates Hermione's Draco-ridden thoughts, and she snaps to attention. Twenty pairs of eyes turn towards her. Harry, sitting next to her, subtly jostles the leg of her desk with a toe of his sneaker and mutters, "Two teaspoons of Valerianaceae."

Hermione opens her mouth to speak, but the Draco-puddle is still there, grinning at her, and she chokes on her words. "Tw- Valc- I…"

The students snicker, and Harry's face falls in confusion. Hermione feels as though her cheeks will burst into flames at any moment; she stands suddenly, murmurs "Excuse me," and runs out the heavy oak doors amid the class's chortles and the Not-Draco's frown.


	3. Chapter 3

She runs down the empty hallways, her chest heaving and tears leaving slick tracks down her cheeks. She runs until she can't breathe any longer, and looks up to find herself at the grassy shore of the Great Lake. She flings herself down, her robes crunching the dry grass underneath, and buries her head in her hands, tears dripping from in between her fingers.

This is all wrong.

Your first romance is supposed to be happy, a light-as-air feeling, not this heavy darkness that follows you wherever you go. She _is_ happy when she's around Draco- everything seems clear and bright, like a patch of sun on a crisp fall day. But it's when they're apart that everything becomes muddled and confusing.

Hermione drags her sleeve across her nose and sighs, shakily. It isn't fair. What she feels for him is so deep and true that she's certain she's doing the right thing- well, mostly certain. And she knows he feels the same way about her, perhaps even more so. Over the past few weeks she would look up in the middle of a class to check the board and catch him staring at her with an intensity that was at first frightening, but soon became an idea that was more and more alluring.

They met in secret, of course, and so far only twice- once in the library, and once by the lake where the prying eyes of other students couldn't reach them. They'd never done anything more than talking- the first time, confessing their love, and then, by the lake, their hopes and dreams.

Hermione had sat cross-legged, facing Draco, who twirled a piece of grass between his fingers and poured out his feelings to her- the pressures of his parents, always having to be the ringleader, and being forced to maintain his reputation by tormenting others. Hermione saw a side of Draco that was so raw and emotional and sincere that she couldn't help but fall in love with the boy who was falling himself.

Hermione only hopes it won't be too late to save him. She stares out at the still lake, wishing things could be different, when a crunching of shoes on twigs causes her to stand and whip around.

"What are you doing out here, Granger?"

Draco stands with a cocky grin, his hands in his pockets, until he sees her tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes.

"How did you know I was here?" She shoots at him, suddenly conscious of her appearance, and smoothes a hand through her wild auburn hair.

"Well…" Draco shifts uncomfortably and casts his gaze to his shifting feet. "It wasn't that hard."

Hermione looks around and spies the greenhouse where Professor Sprout is teaching a Herbology class, which unfortunately for Hermione has large windows with the perfect view of the bank where they are standing. Sure that all thirty Herbology students are watching the unfolding scene, Hermione reaches up and grabs Draco by the ear. Ignoring his protests of pain she drags him behind a more secluded patch of trees, out of sight from prying eyes. _Good, _she thinks as she releases Draco's ear, _now they'll suspect I've pulled him in here to yell for-_

"What was that for?" Draco rubs his ear and glares resentfully at Hermione.

"Well, I could ask you the same question!" she huffs, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "What were you thinking, helping me in the hall, in front of everyone like that? Someone could have-"

"Is that was all this is about?" Draco drops his hand to his side, clenched in a fist. Hurt floods into his grey eyes, creating a soft, wounded-puppy look. "You don't want to be seen with me? How long will you keep this up, Granger?" He turns toward her on his heel, his sudden anger hitting her as real as a slap. "Because I don't want to hide this anymore. What we have, Hermione- it's really-" Draco runs his hand through his pale hair, and Hermione watches as his face turns into that of a boy who hasn't had a decent night's sleep in a very long time.

"It's real." He reaches over and takes her hand. "And I understand if you don't want this to work- if there's someone else, or if-"

Hermione sucks air through her teeth, sharply- an involuntary gasp. "There's no one. _No_ one. No one that could ever compare, do you hear me?" She gazes up at him intently. "But our friends. My family, _your _family..."

Draco leans in towards her face, silencing her. "Bully to them. Our friends can deal with it, I'll charm the trousers off your family, and as for my parents... well, how does an exotic wedding sound? Somewhere far, far away..."

Hermione smiles up at him, tears of this-might-just-work pooling in her eyes. "But-"

And then he's kissing her, his lips kneading softly at first, but growing more intense and passionate. Heat courses through Hermione as she curls into his chest, a little noise in the back of her throat encouraging him to slide his hands down the length of her arms, around her waist; one hand moves into the tangle of her hair as they continue to kiss until neither one can breathe. The earth spins as Hermione draws back, gasping, his arms the only anchor to her euphoric self.

Draco, his heartbeat fluttery and erratic against the smooth indent of her wrist, takes a deep breath and chuckles mischievously. "There's more where that came from, Granger."

She laughs shakily, and then realizes that she's happy, light-as-air; she takes Draco's hand and interlaces her fingers with his. "Let's make this work, then."

The happy couple walks out from the cover of the trees, towards the prying eyes and gossip, hands swinging between them.

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**Yep, that's it. Thanks for reading! **

**_Don't get me wrong,_****I am a ****hardcore****Ron/Hermione shipper, but also think that Dramione would be such an interesting balance/dynamic. Anyway, if you enjoyed this, ****consider going to my page and paroozing through some of my other stories.****That'd be cool of you. ;)**


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